Electronic component with wire bonds in low modulus fill encapsulant

ABSTRACT

An electronic component that has a support structure with a plurality of electrical conductors, a series of wire bonds, each of the wire bonds extending from one of the electrical conductors respectively, each of the wire bonds having an end section contacting the electrical conductor and an intermediate section contiguous with the end section, a bead of dam encapsulant encapsulating the electrical conductors and the end section of each of the wire bonds, and a bead of fill encapsulant contacting the bead of dam encapsulant and encapsulating the intermediate portion of each of the wire bonds. The dam encapsulant has a higher modulus of elasticity than the fill encapsulant.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. Ser. No.12/237,387, filed Sep. 25, 2008, which is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S.Ser. No. 11/860,539, filed Sep. 25, 2007, the contents of which areincorporated herein by cross reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of integrated circuit packaging. Inparticular, the encapsulation of the wire bonds between a circuit boardand the contact pads on the integrated circuit die.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Integrated circuits fabricated on silicon wafer substrates areelectrically connected to printed circuit boards by wire bonds. The wirebonds are very thin wires—around 25 to 40 microns in diameter—extendingfrom contact pads along the side of the wafer substrate to contacts onthe printed circuit board (PCB). To protect and strengthen the wirebonds, they are sealed within a bead of epoxy called encapsulant. Thewires from the contact pads to the PCB are made longer than necessary toaccommodate changes in the gap between the PCB and the contact padsbecause of thermal expansion, flex in the components and so on. Theselonger than necessary wires naturally form an arc between the contactpads and the PCB. The top of the wire arc is often about 300 micronsabove the contact pads although some wire bonding may extend evenhigher. As the name suggests, the encapsulant needs to encapsulate thefull length of the wire so the encapsulant bead will extend 500 micronsto 600 microns proud of the contact pads.

The integrated circuit fabricated on the silicon wafer is often referredto as a ‘die’. For the purposes of this specification, the term die willbe used as a reference to an integrated circuit fabricated on a wafersubstrate using the well known etching and deposition techniquescommonly used in semiconductor fabrication. If the die is purely anelectronic microprocessor, there is little need to keep close control ofthe encapsulant bead dimensions. However, if the die is a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) device with an active upper surface, it may benecessary or desirable to bring the active surface of the die onto closeproximity with another surface. One such situation applies to inkjetprintheads. The proximity of the print media to the nozzle arrayinfluences the print quality. Similarly, if a cleaning surface is wipedacross the nozzles, the bead of encapsulant can hamper the wipingcontact.

Wirebonders are automated devices that weld small lengths of wire fromconductors on the PCB to the contact pads on an integrated circuit die.Wire is fed through a bonding tool that uses some combination ofpressure, heat and/or ultra-sonic energy to attach the wire to the bondpads via a solid phase welding process. The two most common types ofwire bonder are referred to as wedge bond and ball bond. These refer tothe bonding tool and the configuration of the wire bond itself. Withboth types of wirebonders, the individual wire bonds extend in an arcfrom the bond pad on the integrated circuit (IC) die to the conductor onthe PCB. This is because wires from the contact pads to the PCB are madelonger than necessary to accommodate changes in the gap between the PCBand the bonds pads due to thermal expansion, flex in the components andso on.

Wedge bonders have the advantage of a lower loop height. Ball bondersweld a ball of metal to a contact with the wire extending away from theball at right angles to the contact surface. In contrast, the wedgebonder presses the side of the wire against the contact and so incidentangle of the wire to the plane of the contact is lower. Hence the loopheight is also lower. However, there is a weak spot at the transitionpoint between the wire welded to the contact and the wire extending awayfrom the contact at an angle. This point is often referred to as theheel of the wire bond and is significantly strain hardened from bendingand the ultra-sonic welding process. The metal becomes brittle and lessresistant to crack propagation. The localized deformation caused by thewedge is a stress concentration that provides a crack initiation siteand fatigue failure occurs quickly with thermal cycling.

The bead of encapsulant reinforces the wire but the difference inthermal expansion between the wire and the underlying support is stillsufficient to cause bending at the heel and ultimately fatigue failure.

Accurately depositing the bead of encapsulant on the bond pads isproblematic. One commonly used technique for depositing the encapsulantinvolves extruding it from a needle directly onto the line of wirebonds. The encapsulant volume and placement on the die is not veryaccurate. Variations in the pressure from the pump or slightnon-uniformities in the speed of the needle cause the side of the beadcontacting the active surface to be reasonably crooked. As the side ofthe bead is not straight, it has to be generously spaced from any activeparts on the active surface to comfortably accommodate theperturbations. Spacing the electrical contacts away from the activeportions (say for example, inkjet nozzles) of the active surface uses upvaluable wafer real estate and reduces the number of dies that can befabricated from a wafer disc.

“Jetting” is another common encapsulant deposition technique. A nozzleejects relatively large drops (10 to 50 pico-liters) of epoxyencapsulant directly onto the wire bonds. This is a more precise methodof deposition in terms of dimensional accuracy. However, jettingencapsulant down onto the wire bonds can produce bubbles of trapped airinside the bead. When the epoxy is cured, the heat increases thepressure in the bubbles and cause cracks in the epoxy. This can break orexpose the wires which then fail prematurely.

The air bubbles are prone to form when the surface beneath the wirebonds has a complicated topography. For example, deep trenches orstepped formations can present shapes and geometries that do notcompletely fill with the uncured epoxy as it is flows over the wirebonds and into the underlying surface. In surface geometries with asection that is narrower than the meniscus curvature of the uncuredepoxy, the epoxy flow pins at the narrow section and fails to wet theentire underlying surface thereby trapping an air bubble.

Another problem associated with jetting encapsulant is the generation ofsatellite drops that break off from the main drops of encapsulant. Thesatellite drops are several orders of magnitude smaller than the maindrops and so susceptible to misdirection from air turbulence. Withnormal integrated circuit dies, misdirected satellite drops are oflittle consequence. However, if the die as an active surface such as aninkjet printhead die, the small satellite drops of epoxy can havedetrimental effects on the operation of any MEMS structures.

In light of the widespread use of inkjet printheads, the invention willbe described with specific reference to its application in this field.However, the ordinary worker will appreciate that this is purelyillustrative and the invention is equally applicable to other integratedcircuits and micro-device (such as lab-on-a-chip devices) that are wirebonded to a PCB or other support structure.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides amicro-electronic device comprising:

a support structure with a plurality of electrical conductors;

a series of wire bonds, each of the wire bonds extending from one of theelectrical conductors respectively, each of the wire bonds having an endsection contacting the electrical conductor and an intermediate sectioncontiguous with the end section;

a bead of dam encapsulant encapsulating the electrical conductors andthe end section of each of the wire bonds;

a bead of fill encapsulant contacting the bead of dam encapsulant andencapsulating the intermediate portion of each of the wire bonds;wherein,

the dam encapsulant has a higher modulus of elasticity than the fillencapsulant.

The encapsulant with a higher modulus of elasticity reinforces the endsof the wire bonds at the weld to the conductive traces on a PCB. Thissection includes the heel of the wire bond which, as discussed above,has the lowest fatigue strength. The lower modulus encapsulant materialencases the intermediate sections of each wire bond. The intermediatesection of each wire bond is sealed from the elements but the lowermodulus accommodates movement in the wires caused by thermal expansiondifferences (between the PCB and the metal of the wire bonds). Thisshifts the cyclic loading of the wire bond to a section with greaterfatigue strength. In particular, the greatest loading occurs at theinterface between the high and low modulus encapsulant.

Preferably, the support structure comprises a printed circuit board(PCB) and the electrical conductors are PCB contacts connected toconductive traces on the PCB. In a further preferred form, themicroprocessor device further comprises a die mounted to a chip mountingarea on the support structure, the die having a back surface in contactwith the chip mounting area and an active surface opposing the backsurface, the active surface having electrical contact pads; such that,

the wire bonds electrically connect the PCB contacts and the electricalcontact pads on the die; wherein,

a second bead of dam encapsulant is contiguous with the bead of fillencapsulant and encapsulates the electrical contact pads.

Preferably, the dam encapsulant has an elastic modulus between 1 GPa and3 GPa when cured and the fill encapsulant has an elastic modulus between10 MPa and 500 MPa.

In some embodiments, the support structure has a PCB mounting area andthe support structure is configured such that the chip mounting area israised relative to the PCB.

By raising the chip mounting area relative to the rest of the PCB, or atleast the conductors connected to the PCB end of the wire bonds, the topof the arc formed by the layer is much closer to the active surface ofthe die. This, in turn, allows the bead of encapsulant to have a lowerprofile relative to the active surface. With a lower encapsulant bead,the active surface can be brought into closer proximity with anothersurface without making contact. For example, the nozzle array on aprinthead IC can be 300 microns to 400 microns from the paper path.

Preferably, the chip mounting area is raised more than 100 micronsrelative to the PCB contacts. Preferably, the support structure has astep between the chip mounting area and the conductor mounting area. Ina particularly preferred form, the support structure comprises anadhesive die attach film which provides the chip mounting area.

Preferably, the PCB is a flexible printed circuit board (flex PCB) andthe PCB contacts are a line of bond pads along an edge closest to thedie, the bond pads being more than 2 mm from the contacts pads on thedie.

Preferably, the wire bonds are formed from wire with a diameter lessthan 40 microns and extend less than 100 microns above the activesurface of the die.

Preferably, the intermediate section of each wire bond forms an arcbetween the PCB contacts and the contact pads on the die, the endsection of each of the wire bonds as a curved heel that connects theintermediate section to a foot segment that is welded to the PCBcontact, and the second end section having a corresponding heel toconnect the intermediate section to a foot segment welded to the contactpads on the die, the curved heel at the PCB contacts having a smallerradius of curvature than the corresponding heel at the contact pads ofthe die such that the arc of the intermediate section has a peak skewedtowards the PCB.

Preferably, the active surface has functional elements spaced less than260 microns from the contacts pads of the die. In a particularlypreferred form, the die is an inkjet printhead IC and the functionalelements are nozzles through which ink is ejected. In some embodiments,the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) molding.

Preferably, the bead of encapsulant extending less than 200 micronsabove the active surface of the die.

Preferably, the wire bonds are covered in a bead of encapsulant, thebead of encapsulant having a profiled surface that is flat, parallel toand spaced less than 100 microns from the active surface.

Preferably, the wire bonds are covered in a bead of encapsulant, thebead of encapsulant having a profiled surface that is flat and inclinedrelative to the active surface.

Preferably, the wire bonds are covered in a bead of encapsulant, theencapsulant being an epoxy material that is thixotropic when uncured.

Preferably, the wire bonds are covered in a bead of encapsulant, theencapsulant being an epoxy material has a viscosity greater than 700 cpwhen uncured.

In a particular embodiment, the printhead IC is mounted in a printersuch that during use the nozzles are less than 100 microns from thepaper path.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a method ofcontrolling an encapsulant jetter that jets drops of encapsulant, thedrops including primary drops and satellite drops that are much smallerthan the primary drops, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a series of wire bonds electrically connecting amicro-electronic device to a series of conductors;

jetting the drops of encapsulant from the jetter; and,

inducing a gas flow with a velocity sufficient to draw the satellitedrops in a predetermined direction away from the series of wire bondswhile having negligible effect on the primary drops.

The Applicant has found that a relatively low speed gas flow will drawsatellite drops out of the stream of jetted drops and not have anysignificant effect on the primary drops. Hence, a gas flow away from thedie effectively prevents satellite drops from depositing on the activesurface while the wire bonds are sealed in encapsulant. As discussedabove in the Background of the Invention, the satellite drops can beseriously detrimental to a die with an active surface such as aprinthead IC.

Preferably, the gas flow velocity has a speed less than 2 meters persecond. In a further preferred form, the gas flow is transverse to anintended drop trajectory extending from the jetter to the wire bonds.Preferably, the primary drops have a mass at least 100 times greaterthan the satellite drops. In some embodiments, the gas flow is generatedby a source of air at pressure higher than atmospheric. Optionally, thegas flow is generated by a source of air at pressure lower thanatmospheric.

Optionally, the wire bonds electrically connect a printed circuit board(PCB) to a die. In some preferred forms, the method further comprisesthe steps of jetting a bead of dam encapsulant on the die and a bead ofthe dam encapsulant on the PCB and subsequently jets a bead of fillencapsulant between the beads of dam encapsulant on the die and the PCBrespectively. Preferably, the velocity of the gas flow used when jettingthe dam encapsulant is different to the velocity of the gas flow usedwhen jetting the fill encapsulant.

Preferably, the die has an active surface that has functional elements,the contacts pad being formed at one edge of the active surface, thewire bond has a diameter less than 40 microns and the arc extends morethan 100 microns above the active surface of the die. Preferably, thegas flow is transverse to a drop trajectory extending from the jet tothe wire bonds, and directed away from the die.

Preferably, the wire bonds are formed such that they extend less than150 microns above the active surface of the die. In a further preferredform, the wire bonds extend less than 90 microns above the activesurface of the die.

Preferably, the step of providing a series of wire bonds is performedusing a wedge bonder that welds a wire to the PCB, then moves towardsthe die, then away from the die and subsequently towards the die againto weld then wire to the die, such that the wire bond forms a curvedheel immediately adjacent the weld to the PCB, and an arc extending tothe die, the arc having a peak positioned closer to the PCB because ofthe curved heel.

In a further preferred form, the active surface of the die is planar andthe method further comprises the step of positioning the die and the PCBbeneath the jetter such that the drop trajectory is vertical and theactive surface of the die is inclined to the horizontal such that thebead of the fill encapsulant has a peak that is further from the activethan if the bead were deposited when the die was horizontal. Preferably,the active surface is inclined at 10 to 15 degrees to the horizontal.

Preferably, the dam encapsulant is an epoxy material has a viscositygreater than 700 cp when uncured. In a particularly preferred form, thedam encapsulant being an epoxy material that is thixotropic whenuncured.

Preferably, the active surface has functional elements spaced less than260 microns from the contacts pads of the die. In a particularlypreferred form, the die is an inkjet printhead IC and the functionalelements are nozzles through which ink is ejected. In some embodiments,the printhead IC is mounted in a printer such that during use thenozzles are less than 100 microns from the paper path.

Preferably, the support structure has a chip mounting area and aconductor mounting area, the die is supported on the chip mounting area,and a plurality of electrical conductors at least partially supported onthe conductor mounting area wherein, the chip mounting area is raisedrelative to the conductor mounting area.

Preferably, the chip mounting area is raised more than 100 micronsrelative to the conductor mounting area. Preferably, the supportstructure has a step between the chip mounting area and the conductormounting area. In some embodiments, the plurality of conductors areincorporated into a flexible printed circuit board (flex PCB) with aline of bond pads along an edge closest the die, the bond pads beingmore than 2 mm from the contacts pads on the die.

Preferably, the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer (LCP)molding.

According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a method ofreducing voids within a bead of encapsulant material deposited on aseries of wire bonds connecting a micro-electronic device with diecontact pads extending along one edge, and a plurality of conductors ona support structure such that the wire bonds extend across a gap definedbetween the edge of the micro-electronic device and the plurality ofconductors, the method comprising the steps of:

depositing at least one transverse bead of encapsulant in the gapextending at an angle to the edge of the micro-electronic device; and,

depositing at least one longitudinal bead of encapsulant in the gapextending parallel to the edge of the micro-electronic device.

A small transverse bead of encapsulant across the gap between the dieand the PCB will disrupt any hard edges such as the edge of the die, theedge of the die attach film or the step in the LCP support molding.These hard edges provide points where a growing bead of encapsulant canpin its meniscus. As the bead fills behind the meniscus, it Theinvention has found that the encapsulant can be effectively shaped by aprofiling surface without stripping the encapsulant from the wire bonds.The normally convex-shaped upper surface of the encapsulant bead can bepushed to one side of the bead with the profiling surface. With a lowerencapsulant bead, the active surface can be brought into closerproximity with another surface without making contact. For example, thenozzle array on a printhead IC can be 300 microns to 400 microns fromthe paper path. By collapsing or flattening the wire bond arcs beforeapplying and profiling a bead of encapsulant, the nozzle array on theprinthead IC can be less than 100 microns from the paper path.

Preferably, the wire bonds extend in an arc from respective contact padson the die to corresponding conductors on the support structure and themethod further comprises the steps of:

pushing on the wire bonds to plastically deform the wire bonds; and,

releasing the wire bond such that plastic deformation maintains the wirebond in a flatter profile shape.

Preferably, the die has an active surface that has functional elements,the contacts pad being formed at one edge of the active surface, thewire bond has a diameter less than 40 microns and the arc extends morethan 100 microns above the active surface of the die.

Preferably, the wire bond is plastically deformed such that it extendsless than 50 microns above the active surface of the die.

Preferably, the wire bond is pushed by engagement with a blade having arounded edge section for contacting the wire bond.

Preferably, the bead of encapsulant has a profiled surface that is flat,parallel to and spaced less than 100 microns from the active surface.

Preferably, the bead of encapsulant has a profiled surface that is flatand inclined relative to the active surface.

Preferably, the encapsulant being an epoxy material has a viscositygreater than 700 cp when uncured.

Preferably, the encapsulant being an epoxy material that is thixotropicwhen uncured.

Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of:

positioning the profiling surface adjacent and spaced from the activesurface to define a gap; and,

applying the bead of encapsulant onto the contact pads such that oneside of the bead contacts the profiling surface and a portion of thebead extends into the gap and onto the active surface.

Preferably, the active surface has functional elements spaced less than260 microns from the contacts pads of the die. In a further preferredform, the die is an inkjet printhead IC and the functional elements arenozzles through which ink is ejected. In some embodiments, the printheadIC is mounted in a printer such that during use the nozzles are lessthan 100 microns from the paper path.

Preferably, the support structure has a chip mounting area and aconductor mounting area, the die is supported on the chip mounting area,and a plurality of electrical conductors at least partially supported onthe conductor mounting area wherein, the chip mounting area is raisedrelative to the conductor mounting area.

Preferably, the chip mounting area is raised more than 100 micronsrelative to the conductor mounting area. In a particularly preferredform, the support structure has a step between the chip mounting areaand the conductor mounting area.

Preferably, the plurality of conductors are incorporated into a flexibleprinted circuit board (flex PCB) with a line of bond pads along an edgeclosest the die, the bond pads being more than 2 mm from the contactspads on the die.

Preferably, the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer (LCP)molding.

According to a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a method ofapplying encapsulant to a die mounted to a support structure, the methodcomprising the steps of:

providing a die mounted to the support structure, the die having a backsurface in contact with the support structure and an active surfaceopposing the back surface, the active surface having electrical contactpads;

positioning a barrier proximate the electrical contact pads and spacedfrom the active surface to define a gap; and,

depositing a bead of encapsulant onto the electrical contact pads suchthat one side of the bead contacts the barrier and a portion of the beadextends into the gap and onto the active surface.

Placing a barrier over the active surface so that it defines a narrowgap allows the geometry of the encapsulant front (the line of contactbetween the encapsulant and the active surface) can be more closelycontrolled. Any variation in the flowrate of encapsulant from the needletends to cause bulges or valleys in the height of the bead and or thePCB side of the bead. The fluidic resistance generated by the gapbetween the barrier and the active surface means that the amount ofencapsulant that flows into the gap and onto the active surface isalmost constant. The reduced flow variations make the encapsulant frontclosely correspond to the shape of the barrier. Greater control of theencapsulant front allows the functional elements of the active surfaceof the die to be closer to the contact pads.

Preferably, the barrier is a profiling surface and the method furthercomprises the steps of:

moving the profiling surface over the active surface to flatten the beadof encapsulant.

Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of:

prior to depositing the bead of encapsulant, electrically connecting thecontact pads on the die to respective conductors on the supportstructure with wire bonds, the wire bonds each extending in an arc fromthe contact pad to the conductor;

pushing on the wire bonds to collapse the arc and plastically deform thewire bond; and,

releasing the wire bonds such that plastic deformation maintain the wirebonds in a flatter profile shape.

In a further preferred form, the active surface that has functionalelements, the contacts pad being formed at one edge of the activesurface, the wire bond has a diameter less than 40 microns and the arcextends more than 100 microns above the active surface of the die.

Preferably, the wire bond is plastically deformed such that it extendsless than 50 microns above the active surface of the die. In anotherpreferred form, the wire bond is pushed by engagement with a bladehaving a rounded edge section for contacting the wire bond.

Preferably, the bead of encapsulant has a profiled surface that is flat,parallel to and spaced less than 100 microns from the active surface.

Optionally, the bead of encapsulant has a profiled surface that is flatand inclined relative to the active surface.

Preferably, the encapsulant being an epoxy material has a viscositygreater than 700 cp when uncured.

Preferably, the encapsulant is an epoxy material that is thixotropicwhen uncured.

Preferably, the active surface has functional elements spaced less than260 microns from the contacts pads of the die. In a particularlypreferred form, the die is an inkjet printhead IC and the functionalelements are nozzles through which ink is ejected. Preferably, theprinthead IC is mounted in a printer such that during use the nozzlesare less than 100 microns from the paper path.

Preferably, the support structure has a chip mounting area and aconductor mounting area, the die is supported on the chip mounting area,and a plurality of electrical conductors at least partially supported onthe conductor mounting area wherein, the chip mounting area is raisedrelative to the conductor mounting area. In a particularly preferredform, the chip mounting area is raised more than 100 microns relative tothe conductor mounting area. In preferred embodiments, the supportstructure has a step between the chip mounting area and the conductormounting area. In particularly preferred embodiments, the plurality ofconductors are incorporated into a flexible printed circuit board (flexPCB) with a line of bond pads along an edge closest the die, the bondpads being more than 2 mm from the contacts pads on the die.

Preferably, the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer (LCP)molding.

According to a fifth aspect, the present invention provides a method ofapplying encapsulant to wire bonds between a die and conductors on asupporting substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

forming a bead of the encapsulant on a profiling surface;

positioning the profiling surface such that the bead contacts the die;and,

moving the profiling surface relative to the die to cover the wire bondswith the encapsulant.

Wiping the encapsulant over the wire bonds with a profiling surfaceprovides control of the encapsulant front as well as the height of theencapsulant relative to the die. The movement of the profiling surfacerelative to the die can closely controlled to shape the encapsulant to adesired form. Using the example of a printhead die, the encapsulant canbe shaped to present an inclined face rising from the nozzle surface toa high point over the wire bonds. This can be used by the printheadmaintenance facilities to maintain contact pressure on the wipingmechanism. This is illustrated further below with reference to thedrawings. However, it will be appreciated that the encapsulant can beshaped to have ridges, gutters, grooves and so on by using a particularshape of profiling surface and relative movement with the die.

Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of:

dipping the profiling surface into a reservoir of the encapsulantmaterial to form a the bead of encapsulant material on the profilingsurface.

Optionally, the profiling surface is a blade with a straight edge andthe method further comprises the steps of:

orienting the blade such that the straight edge is lowest and dippingthe straight edge into the encapsulant material to form the bead ofencapsulant along the straight edge.

Preferably, the die has an active surface with functional elements and aplurality of contacts pad being formed along one edge for connectionwith the wire bonds such that the wire bonds extend in an arc from thecontacts pads to each of the conductors respectively, the wire bondshaving a diameter less than 40 microns and the arc extends more than 100microns above the active surface of the die.

Preferably, the method further comprises the steps of:

prior to encapsulation, pushing on the wire bonds to collapse the arcand plastically deform the wire bonds; and,

releasing the wire bonds such that plastic deformation maintains thewire bonds in a flatter profile shape.

Preferably, the wire bond is plastically deformed such that it extendsless than 50 microns above the active surface of the die. Preferably,the wire bond is pushed by engagement with a blade having a rounded edgesection for contacting the wire bond.

Preferably, the encapsulant covering the wire bonds has a profiledsurface that is flat, parallel to and spaced less than 100 microns fromthe active surface.

Preferably, the bead of encapsulant having a profiled surface that isflat and inclined relative to the active surface.

Preferably, the encapsulant being an epoxy material has a viscositygreater than 700 cp when uncured.

Preferably, the encapsulant is an epoxy material that is thixotropicwhen uncured. Preferably, the functional elements are spaced less than260 microns from the contacts pads of the die. In a further preferredform, the die is an inkjet printhead IC and the functional elements arenozzles through which ink is ejected. Optionally, the printhead IC ismounted in a printer such that during use the nozzles are less than 100microns from the paper path.

Preferably, the support structure has a chip mounting area and aconductor mounting area, the die is supported on the chip mounting area,and a plurality of electrical conductors at least partially supported onthe conductor mounting area wherein, the chip mounting area is raisedrelative to the conductor mounting area. In a particularly preferredform, the chip mounting area is raised more than 100 microns relative tothe conductor mounting area. In another preferred form, the supportstructure has a step between the chip mounting area and the conductormounting area. In a preferred embodiment, the plurality of conductorsare incorporated into a flexible printed circuit board (flex PCB) with aline of bond pads along an edge closest the die, the bond pads beingmore than 2 mm from the contacts pads on the die. In some embodiments,the support structure is a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) molding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of exampleonly with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a common prior art technique forapplying a bead of encapsulant to wire bonds;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a die mounted to a supportingstructure with a chip mounting area raised relative to the flex PCBmounting area;

FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are schematic representations of the encapsulantbead being profiled into a desired shape using a moveable blade;

FIGS. 4A to 4D are schematic representations of wire bonds beingprofiled by plastic deformation;

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the encapsulant bead height reductions forplastically deformed wire bonds;

FIGS. 6A to 6C show the encapsulant bead being applied to the wire bondsusing the profiling blade;

FIGS. 7A and 7B show the profiling blade being used to control theencapsulant bead front on the surface of the die;

FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of the wire bond encapsulated by abead of low elastic modulus fill encapsulant between beads of highermodulus dam encapsulant;

FIG. 9 is a schematic representation of an encapsulant jetter depositingencapsulant onto a wire bond with satellite drop trajectories beingcontrolled by induced air flow;

FIGS. 10A to 10C show the progressive growth of a bead of fillencapsulant as it is deposited and the formation of voids within theencapsulant bead;

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of a series of wire bonds withtransverse beads of encapsulant;

FIG. 12 is a schematic section through line 12-12 shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 schematically shows the path of a wedge bonder during theformation of a wire bonder;

FIG. 14 shows the deposition of encapsulant onto a wire bond while itssupporting structure is held inclined to the horizontal; and,

FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of a tack adhesion testing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a common technique used for applying a bead encapsulant towire bonds. A die 4 is mounted to a supporting structure 6 adjacent theedge of a flex PCB 8 (flexible printed circuit board). The die 4 has aline of contact pads 10 along one edge and the flex PCB 8 hascorresponding bond pads 12. Wire bonds 16 extend from the bond pads 10to the bonds pads 12. Power and data is transmitted to the die 4 viaconductive traces 14 in the flex PCB 8. This is a simplifiedrepresentation of the dies mounted within many electronic devices. Theprinthead IC dies mounted to the LCP (liquid crystal polymer) molding toreceive print data from an adjacent flex PCB, as described in U.S. Ser.No. 11/014,769 incorporated herein by cross reference, is one example ofthis type of die mounting arrangement. The ordinary worker willappreciate that the die may also be mounted directly to a hard PCB withtraces formed thereon.

The wire bonds 16 are covered in a bead on encapsulant 2 to protect andreinforce the bonds. The encapsulant 2 is dispensed from a dischargeneedle 18 directly onto the wire bonds 16. Often the encapsulant bead 2is three separate beads—two beads of so-called ‘dam’ encapsulant 20, andone bead of ‘fill’ encapsulant 22. The dam encapsulant 20 has a higherviscosity than the fill encapsulant 22, and serves to form a channel tohold the fill encapsulant bead. The height H of the bead 2 above the die4 is usually about 500-600 microns. In most electronic devices, thisdoes not pose a problem. However, if the die has an active surface thatneeds to operate in close proximity to another surface, this bead can bean obstruction.

Elevating the Die Relative to the Flex PCB

FIG. 2 shows a stepped support structure 6 that has raised the chipmounting area 26 relative to the PCB mounting area 24 (or at least thearea mounting the PCB bonds pads 12). With the die 4 on a raised chipmounting area 26, the arc of the wire bonds 16 are lower relative toactive surface 28 of the die 4. In fact, the end of the wire bond 16attached to the contact pad 10 can be the apex of the arc (bearing inmind that the wire bond arc is intended to accommodate some relativemovement of the die and PCB). When the wire bonds 16 are covered withencapsulant 2, the bead has a reduced height H above the active surface28 of the die 4. If the bead of encapsulant 2 uses two beads of damencapsulant 24 and a fill encapsulant 22, the positions, volumes andviscosities of the beads need to take the step into account. Beadheights less than 100 microns are easily achievable, and with additionalmeasures, such as wire arc collapsing and bead profiling (discussedbelow), bead height of less than 50 microns are possible.

With the die 4 raised above the flex PCB 8 by 410 microns, the height ofthe wire bonds 16 above the die is about 34 microns. With the die raised610 microns above the flex PCB, the wire bond height is around 20microns. Raising the die even further has shown little or no furtherreduction in wire bond height with a step of 710 microns having a wirebond height of around 20 microns.

Shaping the Encapsulant Bead with a Profiling Blade

FIGS. 3A to 3C show the encapsulant 2 being profiled with a profilingblade 30. The support structure 6 is again stepped to reduce the heightof the wire bonds 16 above the die 4. Before the epoxy encapsulant 2 hascured, the profiling blade 30 moves across the die 4 and wire bonds in apredetermined path. As shown in FIG. 3B, the blade 30 displaces the topof the bead 30 to its flex PCB side to form a flat top surface 32 thatis at a significantly reduced height H above the die 4.

The encapsulant bead 2 may be a plurality of separate beads as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, or a single bead of one material. However, for closedimensional control of the profiled encapsulant, the encapsulantmaterials used should be thixotropic—that is, once deposited from thedischarge needle, or profiled by the blade 30, the material should notflow under its own weight, but rather hold its form until it cures. Thisrequires the epoxy to have an uncured viscosity greater than about 700cp. A suitable encapsulant is DYMAX 9001-E-v3.1 Chip Encapsulantproduced by Dymax Corporation with a viscosity of approximately 800 cpwhen uncured. The blade 30 may be ceramic (glass) or metal andpreferably about 200 microns thick.

It will be appreciated that the relative movement of the blade 30 andthe die 4 can be precisely controlled. This allows the height H to bedetermined by the tolerance of the wire bonding process. As long as H isgreater than the nominal height of the wire bond arc above the die, plusthe maximum tolerance, the encapsulant 2 will cover and protect the wirebonds 16. With this technique, the height H can be easily reduced from500-600 microns to less than 300 microns. If the heights of the wirebond arcs are also reduced, the height H of the encapsulant bead can beless than 100 microns. The Applicant uses this technique to profileencapsulant on printhead dies down to a height of 50 microns at itslowest point. As shown in FIG. 3C, the lowest point is at theencapsulant front and the blade 30 forms an inclined face 32 in the topof the bead 2. The inclined face is utilized by the printheadmaintenance system when cleaning the paper dust and dried ink from thenozzle face. This illustrates the technique's ability to not just reducethe height of the encapsulant bead, but to form a surface that canperform functions other than just encapsulate the wire bonds. The edgeprofile of the blade and the path of the blade relative to the die canbe configured to form a surface that has a multitude of shapes for avariety of purposes.

Plastic Deformation of the Wire Bond Arcs

FIGS. 4A to 4C show another technique for lowering the profile of wirebonds. FIG. 4A shows the die 4 connected to the flex PCB 8 via the wirebonds 16. While the stepped support structure 6 has lowered the heightof the wire bond arcs compared to a flat supporting structure, the wirebonds still have a natural tendency to bow upwards rather than downwardstowards the corner of the step. The wires 16 are typically about 32microns in diameter and have a pull force of about 3 to 5 grams force.The pull force is the tensile load necessary to break the connection tothe contact pad 10 or the bond pad 12. Given the fragility of thesestructures (one of the reasons encapsulant is applied), conventionalwisdom is to avoid any contact between the wire bond arcs and othersolid surfaces.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the arc of the wire bonds 16 can be collapsed by awire pusher 34. The wire pusher 34 displaces the wire bond 16 enough toelastically and plastically deform the arc. The Applicants have shownthat contact with the wire pusher 34 can cause localized work hardeningin the wire, but as long as the pushing force is not excessive, it doesnot break. The end of the wire pusher 34 is rounded to avoid stressconcentration points. The wire pusher may be a stylus for engagingsingle wire bonds or a blade that pushes on multiple wire bondssimultaneously.

Referring now to FIG. 4C, the wire pusher 34 is retracted and the wiresprings back toward its original shape to relieve the elasticdeformation. However, the plastic deformation remains and the wire bondheight above the die 4 is much reduced. Testing has shown that aninitial wire bond loop height of 200 microns can be reduced to about 45microns using this technique. Tests have also shown that the pullstrength of the plastically deformed wires remains at about 3 to 5 gramsforce.

The collapse of the wire bonds is uncontrolled and leaves the wire bondssomewhat randomly deformed. However, pushing the wire bonds closer tothe die provides more uniformly shaped collapsed wire bonds. TheApplicant's work has shown that engaging the wires about 200 to 300microns for the die provides the best results.

As shown in FIG. 4D, the die 4 and the flex PCB 8 are mounted to a flatsupport structure 6. As discussed above, this means the original loopheight of the wire bond arc is much higher—approximately 400 micronsabove the die 4. Consequently, the wire has more plastic deformationwhen the loop is collapsed by the wire pusher. Even so, the Applicantsresults show that the residual loop height after pushing is about 20-50microns.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show the collapsed wire bonds 16 covered with anencapsulant bead 2. Even without bead profiling prior to curing, theheight H of the bead above the die is much less than the bead necessaryto encapsulate the original undeformed wire loops.

Applying Encapsulant with Profiling Blade

FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C show the application of the encapsulant bead usingthe profiling blade 30 instead of a discharge needle (see FIGS. 1 and2). As previously discussed, the flowrate of encapsulant from thedischarge needle can vary and this gives rise to large variations on theposition of the encapsulant front on the active surface of the die 4.Consequently, any functional elements in the active surface of the dieneed to be sufficiently spaced from the contacts pads 10 to allow forthe meandering encapsulant front.

Applying the encapsulant with the profiling blade avoids the problemscaused by the flowrate fluctuations from the discharge needle. As shownin FIG. 6A, the bead of encapsulant 40 can be formed on the profilingblade 30 by simply dipping it into a reservoir of uncured encapsulantepoxy. Of course, the bead 40 may also be formed by any other convenientmethod, such as running the discharge needle along one end of the blade30.

FIG. 6B show the blade 30 having been lowered to touch the bead 40 ontothe die 4. When the encapsulant material touches the die surface, itwets and wicks along the surface while remaining pinned to the edge ofthe blade. The blade 30 is held at a predetermined height above the die4 and moved over the bead 2 to flatten and lower its profile. Theencapsulant displaced from the top of the bead 2 by the blade 30,spreads over the PCB side of the bead 2. It is not relevant if theencapsulant spreads further over the PCB than necessary. As long as thewire bonds 16 and the bonds pads 12 are covered, any additionalencapsulant on the PCB 8 surface is not detrimental.

In FIG. 6C, the wire bond 16 height has been reduced by collapsing thearc in accordance with the techniques discussed above. As previouslydiscussed, the bead 2 deposited by the discharge needle need not be asbig to cover the wire bond 16 once it has been collapsed. Furthermore,the blade 30 can be brought closer to the die 4 without contacting wirebonds 16 when profiling the encapsulant 2. Hence the bead profile inFIG. 6C is substantially lower than that of FIG. 6B.

Encapsulant Front Control

When the encapsulant material is dispensed from the discharge needle,minor variations in the flowrate can cause the bead to bulge at pointsof higher flow. Consequently, the side of the bead that contacts theactive surface of the die is not straight, but has significantperturbations. These perturbations have to be accommodated between thecontact pads and any functional elements on the active surface. Thespacing between the contacts pads and the functional elements consumesvaluable ‘chip real estate’. The Applicant has previously developedprinthead dies with a spacing of 260 microns between the contact padsand the first row of nozzles. Better control of the encapsulant frontreduces the space between the contacts and operational elements, and sothe overall dimensions of the die. Hence the design can be more compactand more chips fabricated from the original wafer disc.

As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the profiling blade 30 is used to controlthe front 36 of the bead of encapsulant 2. The blade 30 is positionedover the die 4 to define a gap 42 between its lower edge and the activesurface 28. As the discharge needle 18 dispenses the encapsulantmaterial 44, it flows onto the active surface, one side of the blade anda fillet of the material extends through the gap 42. Because of the flowrestriction created by the gap, flow variations have a reduced effect onthe dimensions of the fillet that flows through the gap. Therefore theencapsulant front 36 closely corresponds to the line of the lower edgeof the blade 30.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the profiling blade 30 is already in position toprofile the encapsulant bead 2 once it has been dispensed from thedischarge needle. The blade 30 simply moves over the die 4 in adirection away from the nozzles 38. This keeps the encapsulant front 36in place and flattens the profile of the encapsulant bead 2 over thewire bonds 16.

Using Low Modulus Fill Encapsulant to Decrease Stress at Wire Bond Ends

FIG. 8 shows a schematic section view of the die 12 bonded to a supportstructure that comprises an LCP molding 26, a die attach film 18 and aflex PCB 32. The flex PCB 32 has conductive traces 34 leading to the PCBcontact pads 36. Wire bonds 42 electrically connect the PCB pads 36 withrespective electrical contact pads 52 along one edge of the die 12. Thedie 12 is a printhead integrated circuit with an active surfacecomprising an array of ink ejection nozzles 14. The LCP molding 26 has amain ink conduit 28 which feeds ink to a smaller surface channel 30 influid communication with a laser ablated hole 20 in the die attach film18. The printhead IC 12 has an attachment face opposite the array ofnozzles 14 on the active surface. Print data is transmitted to thenozzles through the flex PCB via the wire bonds.

As discussed above, the LCP molding has a step formation 54 to lower thePCB contact pads 36 relative to the printhead die 12. This reduces theheight ‘h’ of the wire bond peak 60 above the array of nozzles 14. Thisin turn allows the encapsulant bead 46 to be lower and so the media feedpath can be closer to the nozzles.

The temperature variation of the device 10 can be significant. Duringoperation, the heat generated causes thermal expansion of all thecomponents. With differing coefficients of thermal expansion, the wirebonds move relative to the die and the flex PCB. The wire bonds 42,being metallic, expand more than the underlying LCP molding 26, die 12and flex PCB 32. With the distance between the die contact pads 52 andthe PCB contacts 36 typically about 3 mm to 8 mm, the differentialexpansion of the wire bonds 42 is around 15 microns to 30 microns.

The expansion in the wire bonds causes them to bow slightly upwardswithin the bead of encapsulant 46. This increases the radius ofcurvature at the heel 40 of the wire bond 42. The heel 40 connects thewelded foot portion 38 to the intermediate section of the wire bonds 42.The operation of a wedge wire bonder 150 (see FIG. 13) is describedabove. When the tip 152 of the wedge 150 ultrasonically welds the end 38to the PCB contact 36, it flattens the top of the wire by contactpressure. At the end of the flat portion where it meets the heel 40, thewire returns to a round cross section. This discontinuity in the crosssection acts as a stress concentration site. As the device 10experiences thermal cycling as it goes into and out of operative mode(or even just diurnal temperature variations), the cyclical bending andrelaxing at the heel 40 can result in premature fatigue failure.

The Applicant has addressed this with high elastic modulus encapsulantbeads along the contacts and the end section of the wire bonds, with alower elastic modulus fill encapsulant. As shown in FIG. 8, the PCB damencapsulant 44 encases the PCB contact pads 36, the welded portion ofthe wire bond 38 and the heel 40. At the other end of the wire bond 42,the welded die end 56, the die heel 58 and the die contact pads 52 areencased in an IC encapsulant bead 48. The die heel 58 has less curvaturethan the PCB heel 40 and therefore is less prone to premature fatiguefailure. However, without the step formation 54 and the particularmanner in which the wedge bonder 150 is operated (discussed below), thecurvature of the heel at both ends of the wire bond would be roughlyequivalent and so both equally prone to premature fatigue failure.

With high modulus dam encapsulant beads 44 and 48, the relatively weakheels 40 and 58 are reinforced. The expansion of the wire bonds 42relative to the underlying LCP molding 26 is accommodated in the lowmodulus fill encapsulant 46. This shifts the stress concentration to theinterface 50 between the high modulus beads 40 and 58, and low modulusfill encapsulant bead 46. At the interface 50, the wire bond 42 hasgreater fatigue strength. The cross section is not disrupted and noembrittlement from work hardening.

The Applicant's work shows the dam encapsulant beads should have anelastic modulus between 1 GPa and 3 GPa when cured while and the curedfill encapsulant is between 10 MPa and 500 MPa.

Satellite Droplet Control

FIG. 9 shows the technique the Applicant developed for jettingencapsulant on to the wire bonds. As discussed in the Background to theInvention, satellite drops 64 can break away from the primary drops 62ejected from the jet nozzle 72. Being two or three orders of magnitudesmaller than the primary drops 72, the satellite drops 76 are easilydeflected from their normal trajectory by any air turbulence, whereasturbulent air has negligible effect on the trajectory 74 of the primarydrops 62. The primary drops 62 form the vast bulk of the encapsulantbeads 44, 46 and 48 so satellite drops have no detrimental effect on theencapsulation of the wire bonds. However, if the die 12 has an activesurface such as a printhead IC, then the satellite drops 64 can bemisdirected by turbulence and deposit on functional elements such as anozzle array 14. Here the satellite drops 64 can have a seriouslydetrimental effect. In contrast, if the satellite drops 64 fall on theflex PCB 32, there is no effect on the operation of the conductivetraces 34.

The Applicant's work has shown that a low velocity gas flow 66 betweenthe jetter nozzle 72 and the wire bonds 42 can provide a controlled thesatellite trajectory 76 while having negligible effect on the primarytrajectory 74. An air flow 66 with a speed less than 2 m/s directedtransverse to the primary drop trajectory 74 will ensure the satellitedrops 64 follow a trajectory 76 leading to the flex PCB 32 where theywill not cause any harm. The air flow 66 can be provided by generating apositive air pressure (relative to atmospheric) and/or a negative airpressure. For example a fan 68 or an exhaust fan 70 may be usedindividually or in combination to create the desired gas flow 66. Ofcourse, the gas flow 66 could be any direction that provides a satellitetrajectory 76 that avoids the nozzle array 14.Void Reduction in Encapsulant Beads

FIGS. 10A, 10B and 10C show progressive stages in the deposition of abead of fill encapsulant 46. As shown in FIG. 10A, fill encapsulant isdeposited along one side of the gap between the die contacts 52 and thePCB contacts 36. The gap is defined by the dam encapsulant bead 48covering the die contacts and the PCB dam encapsulant bead 44 on the PCBcontacts. The surface within the gap is tiered with several hard edgesbetween different levels. For example, the edge of the die, the edge ofthe die attach film 80 and the edge of the step formation 54. It hasbeen found that when encapsulating a tiered surface such as this, theencapsulant should be deposited on higher levels and allowed to flowinto the lower levels. If deposited into the lowest level, the meniscusof the growing bead touches any vertical sides before the encapsulantflow has reached completely into the corner. This leaves a trapped airbubble in a void at the internal corners of the tiered surface.

Unfortunately, allowing the encapsulant to cascade down from upper tolower tiers can also result in voids at the internal corners. Thegrowing bead of encapsulant material 46 can pin its meniscus at the hardedges on the top edge of each tier (e.g. the top edge of the die attachfilm 18). As shown in FIG. 10B, the meniscus can stay anchored at thehard edge 80 instead of flowing down the vertical side of the die attachedge. Eventually the bulging meniscus sags over the edge that it ispinned to, until it touches the lower tier. Again, this traps an airpocket at the internal corner which forms a void 82.

FIG. 10C shows the completed encapsulant bead 46. Another void 86 hasformed at the internal corner 86 of the step formation 54. The airpressure in the voids increases as the temperature of the deviceincreases during operation. The high air pressure can deform the bead 46or even the entire device, or crack the bead 46 and expose the wirebonds 42.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show the Applicant's solution to this issue. FIG. 11shows the wire bonds 42 extending across the gap 89 between the diecontacts 52 and the PCB contacts 36. Also shown in plan view is the beadof dam encapsulant covering the die contacts 52 and the dam encapsulant44 covering the PCB contacts 36. Transverse beads 88 of fill encapsulantare deposited in the gap 89 at several points along the series of wirebonds 42. Each of the transverse beads 88 extends from the die attachfilm 18 to the base of the step formation 54 in the LCP molding 26.

FIG. 12 is a schematic section view through line 12-12 of FIG. 11. Thetransverse beads 88 flow over the hard edges 80 and 84 in the gap 89.The small transverse beads 88 disrupt the hard edges in the gap suchthat when the majority of the fill encapsulant bead is deposited, themeniscus does not pin at the edges but flow down to the internal cornersand any other constricted spaced within the gap. The encapsulant spreadsacross the gap much sooner and avoids building up behind a large radiusmeniscus.

Asymmetrical Wire Bond Arcs

FIG. 13 shows the technique used to form a wire bond such that the peakof its arc is skewed away from the die 12 (see for example, the peak ofthe wire 42 shown in FIG. 12). The wedge bonder 150 ultrasonically weldsthe end of the wire bond 42 to the PCB contacts 36. The wedge then drawsthe wire upwardly (at about 45 degrees) and towards the die 12 asindicated by arrow 92. At a predetermined point between the PCB 32 andthe die 12, the wedge stop moving towards the die and starts moving awayfrom the die as indicated by arrow 94. This bends the wire 42 back todecrease the radius of curvature at the heel 40. Subsequently, the wedge150 again moves towards the die 12 as indicated by arrow 96. This allowsthe radius of the heel 40 to marginally increase as the elasticdeformation is relaxed. However, plastic deformation holds the wire bondheel 40 at a reduced radius and this skews the arc formed by the wirebond into an asymmetrical profile with the peak pulled away from thedie. Finally, the wire 42 is drawn down to the die contact 52 andultrasonically welded (see arrow 98). As discussed above, deforming thewire bond 42 in this way reduces its height relative to the activesurface and moving the peak further from the die 12 also improves theability to bring the paper path closer to the nozzles 14.

Asymmetric Deposition of Encapsulant Bead

Pursuant to forming an asymmetric wire bond arc as shown above, FIG. 14shows the deposition of an encapsulant bead 46 that is similarlyasymmetrical. Encapsulant drops 62 are ejected from a jetter nozzle 72vertically downwards on to the wire bond 42. The LCP molding 26 ispositioned under the jetter nozzle 72 such that the die 12 and inparticular, the active surface 14 is in a plane inclined at angle θ tothe horizontal. As the drops of encapsulant collect between the beads ofdam encapsulant 44 and 48, the fill bead 46 forms with its peak directlyunder the nozzle 72. This gives the bead 46 a profile that more closelycorrespond to the arc of the wire bond 42. If the die 12 were notinclined at angle θ during encapsulant deposition, the fill bead profilewould follow the dotted line 90. The Applicant's work has shown that θneed only be 10 to 15 degrees for the bead of fill encapsulant to skewaway from the die in roughly the same manner as the wire bond.

Encapsulant Tack Testing Device

FIG. 15 shows a tack adherence testing device 100. This devicequantitatively tests the tack adhesion of various materials such asencapsulant bead epoxy. This provides a more useful assessment of theencapsulant than the qualitative term previously used in this field,such as a perceived tack when touched with a bare finger. Such tackadhesion observations are completely subjective and completelyinadequate for any rigorous analysis of materials used in a paper feedpath. Ordinary workers will readily appreciate that tack adhesion can beat the root of problems such as paper cockle and other feed jams. Incontrast, precise qualitative measures of tack adhesion provide accurateand meaningful production specifications.

The tack adhesion testing device 100 quantitatively measures tackadhesion between a material such as a encapsulant 102 and an object suchas a sheet of paper 104 with a planar surface 116 for contact with theencapsulant 102. A material mount 112 mounts a quantity of theencapsulant 106 such that it presents an exposed flat face 118. Anobject mount 108 securely holds the paper 104 with a clamp 110. Theplanar surface 116 is in flat contact with the exposed flat surface 118.

The object mount 108 is attached to lift arm 122. Lift arm 122 ispivotally mounted to raise the object mount 108 relative to the materialmount 102. A slidable weight 128 can be moved along the lever arm 126such that the lift force 114 on the object mount 108 is adjustable.

A contact force applicator 106 is configured for applying a known force138 to the exposed flat face 118. Pivot arm 120 is hinged to the contactforce lever arm 134 which in turn pivots about fulcrum 130. A contactforce weight 132 slides along the lever arm 134 to vary the contactforce between the object 104 and the material 102.

The lift arm 122, pivot 124, lever arm 126 and sliding weight 128 act asa separation mechanism for applying a variable lift force 114 to thematerial mount 108. Gradations 140 marked on the lever arm 126 providean indicator for recording the force at which the flat face 118 and theplanar surface 116 slide relative to each other. Similar gradations 142along the contact lever arm 134 indicate the contact force 138.

The paper sheet 104 is clamped such that the lift force 114 is appliedin the plane of contact between the flat face 118 and the planar surface116. This stops the lift force from contributing to the contact force138. Likewise, the contact force application applicator 106 applies thecontact force 138 in a direction normal to the flat face 118 and theplanar surface 116 so as not to affect the magnitude of the lift force114.

The invention has been described herein by way of example only. Theordinary will readily recognize many variations and modifications whichdo not depart from the spirit and scope of the broad inventive concept.

1. An electronic component comprising: a support structure with aplurality of electrical conductors; a series of wire bonds, each of thewire bonds extending from one of the electrical conductors respectively,each of the wire bonds having an end section contacting the electricalconductor and an intermediate section contiguous with the end section; abead of dam encapsulant encapsulating the electrical conductors and theend section of each of the wire bonds; a bead of fill encapsulantcontacting the bead of dam encapsulant and encapsulating theintermediate portion of each of the wire bonds; wherein, the damencapsulant has a higher modulus of elasticity than the fillencapsulant.
 2. An electronic component according to claim 1 wherein thesupport structure comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) and theelectrical conductors are PCB contacts connected to conductive traces onthe PCB.
 3. An electronic component according to claim 2 furthercomprising a die mounted to a chip mounting area on the supportstructure, the die having a back surface in contact with the chipmounting area and an active surface opposing the back surface, theactive surface having electrical contact pads; such that, the wire bondselectrically connect the PCB contacts and the electrical contact pads onthe die; wherein, a second bead of dam encapsulant is contiguous withthe bead of fill encapsulant and encapsulates the electrical contactpads.
 4. An electronic component according to claim 3 wherein the damencapsulant has an elastic modulus between 1 GPa and 3 GPa when curedand the fill encapsulant has an elastic modulus between 10 MPa and 500MPa when cured.
 5. An electronic component according to claim 3 whereinthe support structure has a PCB mounting area and the support structureis configured such that the chip mounting area is raised relative to thePCB.
 6. An electronic component according to claim 5 wherein the chipmounting area is raised more than 100 microns relative to the PCBcontacts.
 7. An electronic component according to claim 5 wherein thesupport structure comprises a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) molding. 8.An electronic component according to claim 5 wherein the encapsulant isan epoxy material with a viscosity greater than 700 cp when uncured. 9.An electronic component according to claim 3 wherein the supportstructure has a step between the chip mounting area and the conductormounting area.
 10. An electronic component according to claim 3 whereinthe support structure comprises an adhesive die attach film whichprovides the chip mounting area.
 11. An electronic component accordingto claim 3 wherein the PCB is a flexible printed circuit board (flexPCB) and the PCB contacts are a line of bond pads along an edge closestto the die, the bond pads being more than 2 mm from the contacts pads onthe die.
 12. An electronic component according to claim 3 wherein theintermediate section of each wire bond forms an arc between the PCBcontacts and the contact pads on the die, the end section of each of thewire bonds as a curved heel that connects the intermediate section to afoot segment that is welded to the PCB contact, and the second endsection having a corresponding heel to connect the intermediate sectionto a foot segment welded to the contact pads on the die, the curved heelat the PCB contacts having a smaller radius of curvature than thecorresponding heel at the contact pads of the die such that the arc ofthe intermediate section has a peak skewed towards the PCB.
 13. Anelectronic component according to claim 3 wherein the active surface hasfunctional elements spaced less than 260 microns from the contacts padsof the die. In a particularly preferred form, the die is an inkjetprinthead IC and the functional elements are nozzles through which inkis ejected.
 14. An electronic component according to claim 3 wherein thebead of encapsulant extends less than 200 microns above the activesurface of the die.
 15. An electronic component according to claim 3wherein the bead of encapsulant extends less than 100 microns above theactive surface.
 16. An electronic component according to claim 3 whereinthe die is a printhead IC and the active surface is an array of inknozzles, and the support structure of configured for mounting in aprinter such that during use the ink nozzles are less than 200 micronsfrom the paper path.
 17. An electronic component according to claim 1wherein the wire bonds are formed from wire with a diameter less than 40microns and extend less than 100 microns above the active surface of thedie.
 18. An electronic component according to claim 1 wherein theencapsulant is an epoxy material that is thixotropic when uncured.